The applicant's international PCT patent application no. PCT/AU00/00654 (International publication no. WO 00/76288) entitled “Heart Assist Devices, Systems and Methods” (“the PCT application”) discloses numerous embodiments of a novel heart assist device adapted for implantation into a patient. Broadly speaking, the disclosed heart assist devices include: an aortic compression means adapted, when actuated, to compress an aorta of a patient; a fluid reservoir; and a fluid pressure generating means adapted to pump fluid from the fluid reservoir to the aortic compression means so as to actuate the aortic compression means in counterpulsation with the patient's heart. The relevant portions of the PCT application are incorporated herein by cross-reference.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide improved fluid pressure generating means suitable for use with the aortic compression means described in the PCT application. It is a second object to provide a fluid pressure generating means which may be placed more conveniently into the body of a patient.